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Out of near tragedy comes story of hope and fundraising

By Brook Stockberger

bstockberger@lcsun-news.com @Bstockberger on Twitter

Posted:
07/28/2013 04:51:00 PM MDT

Robin Zielinski-Sun-News
At U.S. Bank on Friday, Jeffery Silva, left, shares a moment with his son Zane, 5, who was born prematurely. The Team Zane fundraising efforts for the March of Dimes earned them a top 10 spot in the nation for 2013. Las Cruces stepped up, I give the credit to the community," said the proud father. (null)

LAS CRUCES >> Like a lot of 5-year-old boys, he fidgeted, played with his dad's office phone and was shy around me when I came into the office. He perked up when he saw through the window a rescue vehicle in the distance.

"He loves firemen," the boy's dad said.

Very typical as well.

Except, this young boy -- his name is Zane -- has probably spent more time with emergency response personnel than most.

"When they show up at your house at 3 a.m. (you get to know them)," the father, Jeffrey Silva, said.

You see, when Zane was born, he was born premature and nearly died. His mother, Dianne, was also hospitalized with a critical condition and Jeffrey found himself feeling nearly lost.

Without a ventilator, the little boy and his not-yet-completely-formed lungs couldn't breathe. The past five years have seen the Silvas worry about Zane's health and immunity. There have been the middle-of-the-night phone calls that have brought firemen and ambulances. There has been watching a low fever or small cold turn into something much worse. Zane has scars from heart surgery. He's had 11 blood transfusions.

That night when his family was in danger, though, was also the start of something special.

"I went home that night and looked up premature birth on the computer," Silva said. "I had almost like a peace come over me when I was on the March of Dimes website, reading about other families. I said, 'Lord, if you'll save Zane, I'll do all I can.'"

About five-and-a-half years later, Team Zane, a March of Dimes fundraising group here in Las Cruces, has raised about $90,000 -- gross intake -- for the nonprofit. March of Dimes reports that Team Zane is ranked No. 10 in the nation. Jeffrey Silva, who works for US Bank, said that is out of about 25,000 teams. The ranking means that in September, Silva will travel to Washington D.C. and visit Capitol Hill for the March of Dimes National Advocacy and Volunteer Leadership Conference.

The way the group raises money is through its annual Team Zane Celebrity Waiter event. People in the community sell spots at their table and then wait on their guests during the event. In addition, all tips go to Team Zane as well. The first year about 100 people showed up at La Posta restaurant in Mesilla and raised nearly $9,000. This year, the fourth, about 800 people showed up at the Las Cruces Convention Center for a 1970s-themed event and raised $37,742.

David Hicks, general manager of the convention center, is a member of the local March of Dimes board.

"How I got involved in the whole organization is my friendship with Jeffrey," Hicks said.

He said his daughter had some medical issues.

"It just sort of hits home and makes you think twice about kids and the importance of medical treatment," he said.

Silva said that multiple sponsors have stepped forward for the event, including, I'm proud to say, the Sun-News. Also among the sponsors is Sitel, which has a local customer support center in town.

"Team Zane is iconic in Las Cruces for something amazingly good that can happen from adversity," said John Muñoz, site director for the company. The fifth annual Team Zane Celebrity Waiter Event is already scheduled for March 1 of next year. Silva said tickets will probably go on sale in early February and that this year there will be an 80s theme.

As for Zane, he has speech therapy and physical therapy. He doesn't always talk much, but he's got a big smile. And he can't wait to get a new toy helicopter that he's been promised. His dad said that in the not-too-distant future, more people might get a chance to learn Zane's story. He said that, when he is 7, there has been talk of Zane being a national spokeschild for March of Dimes.